FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169  
170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   178   179   180   181   182   183   184   185   186   187   188   189   190   191   192   193   194   >>   >|  
y; But he unmoved against them stands as crag amid the sea; As crag amid the sea, that stands unmoved and huge to meet The coming crash, while plenteously the waves bark round its feet: Vain is the roaring on the rocks and rattling shingly crash, The wrack from off its smitten sides falls down amid the wash. 590 But when no might is given him their blindness to o'ercome, And by the road fell Juno would the matter must win home, Sore called the father on the Gods and emptiness of air: "Ah, broken by the Fates," he cried, "amid the storm we bear! Ye with your godless blood yourselves shall pay the penalty, Unhappy men! But Turnus, thou, thine ill deed bideth thee With woe enough, and overlate the Gods shalt thou adore. For me, my rest is gained, my foot the threshold passeth o'er; Yet is my happy ending spilled." Nor further would he say; But, hedged within his house, he cast the reins of rule away. 600 In Latium of the Westland world a fashion was whilome, Thence hallowed of the Alban folk, held holy thence by Rome, Earth's mightiest thing: and this they used what time soe'er they woke Mars unto battle; whether they against the Getic folk, Ind, Araby, Hyrcanian men, fashioned the woeful wrack, Or mid the dawn from Parthian men the banners bade aback. For twofold are the Gates of War--still bear they such a name-- Hallowed by awe of Mars the dread, and worship of his fame, Shut by an hundred brazen bolts, and iron whose avail Shall never die: nor ever thence doth door-ward Janus fail. 610 Now when amid the Fathers' hearts fast is the war-rede grown, The Consul, girt in Gabine wise, and with Quirinus gown Made glorious, doth himself unbar the creaking door-leaves great, And he himself cries on the war; whom all men follow straight, The while their brazen yea-saying the griding trumpets blare. In e'en such wise Latinus now was bidden to declare The battle 'gainst AEneas' folk, and ope the gates of woe. But from their touch the Father shrank, and fleeing lest he do The evil deed, in eyeless dark he hideth him away. Then slipped the Queen of Gods from heaven, and ended their delay; For back upon their hinges turned the Seed of Saturn bore 621 The tarrying leaves, and burst apart the iron Gates of War,
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169  
170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   178   179   180   181   182   183   184   185   186   187   188   189   190   191   192   193   194   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
battle
 

brazen

 

leaves

 

stands

 

unmoved

 
hundred
 
Saturn
 

turned

 
hinges
 

Parthian


banners

 

woeful

 
Hyrcanian
 

fashioned

 
twofold
 

Hallowed

 
tarrying
 
worship
 

griding

 

trumpets


follow

 

straight

 

AEneas

 

shrank

 

Father

 

gainst

 

declare

 

Latinus

 

fleeing

 

bidden


Consul

 
heaven
 

Fathers

 

hearts

 

slipped

 
creaking
 

eyeless

 
glorious
 

Gabine

 
hideth

Quirinus
 

whilome

 
called
 
father
 

matter

 

ercome

 
blindness
 

emptiness

 
godless
 

broken